Summer Heat

Tang Hai Guo

His son bought him an apartment at the beach to show off to his friends, but to save money, he bought one on the backside of the building, away from the sea breeze. The heat in southern China is always tough to bear, usually about 9 out of the 12 months of the year. Here the father sits in his chair with no shirt, a light hanging down from the ceiling with no lampshade, as is typical in many households, still, here, watching TV, and fanning himself. The writing on the wall in the background laments that the typhoon never came: even though typhoons pose danger, at least they have cooling winds [typhoon is from the Chinese, tai feng, much wind.